What's Better? A Moment Of 'Wonderful', Or, A Lifetime Of 'Nothing Special'?

It was one of those days when our pockets looked empty. The month was coming to an end and we waited for the paycheck. My brother and I had just begun working. Paying guest accommodation or hostels did not look very appealing. We wanted to live a free life. Our policy; 'live life king-size'. A lady was kind enough to rent out her 2 BHK house at a reasonable rate. We could afford the king-size living during the first few days of every month. The last few days; a peasant-size life. But, when it came to food, no compromise whatsoever. I checked my wallet. There was hardly anything. I asked my brother to buy a few vegetables. He wouldn't listen. The stomach wouldn't agree to digest anything vegetarian. He pulled out his trousers from the suitcase; 4 to 5 of them. In the pockets, there was money. Lots and lots of money. We put together all the coins, the crumpled 5 and 10 rupee notes and the money from my wallet. A hundred rupees - a real big amount when you thought there was nothing left. The required spices were already there in the kitchen. 1 kilogram of chicken, a few tomatoes and coriander leaves was all that we needed. The chicken stall was about to shut down when my brother reached. Luckily it hadn't. The tomatoes and coriander leaves were also bought. I cleaned the chicken while my brother cut the onions and tomatoes. The ambrosial chicken was soon ready. Meanwhile, the rice also got ready. We enjoyed the savor of our victory. The taste was better than the best chicken. The happiness; even greater than the taste.

There may be days when we have spent ten times more on food. But, it is just this day that I remember. It's not always the money. It's better to enjoy and remember a moment of 'wonderful' after a lot of painstaking than having a luxury-filled lifetime of 'nothing special'.